Bot Seeks Bot
Bot Seeks Bot is the seventh episode of the Season 5 and the overall sixty-second episode of The Venture Bros. Plot Monseñor is presiding over the funeral of supervillian Boggles the Clue Clown, and several supervillains are in attendance, including the now combined Red Mantle/Dragoon. Vendata alerts the two to an emergency meeting called by the Guild of Calamitous Intent’s Council of Thirteen to name Boggles’ replacement, as he was Councilman 4. Red Mantle is hesitant to leave, as he and Boggles were close, but Dragoon confesses he didn’t care much for the clown. Also in attendance at the funeral is Captain Sunshine and his sidekick Wonder Boy, apparently the fifth version. Office of Secret Intelligence (O.S.I.) members Brock Samson, Shore Leave, and Snoopy are surveying the funeral as The Clue Clown has been the only member of the Council identified so far (thanks to Monstroso’s tip in ''O.S.I. Love You''). Hunter Gathers believes some of the other members of the Council may show up to the funeral and hopes they can be identified by their silhouette pictures. Meanwhile back at the funeral, Boggles performs one last riddle as read by Monseñor. His body then pops out of the casket revealing the answer. As the body is lowered into the ground, Red Mantle uses his powers to move the dirt over the casket. This alerts the O.S.I. agents to a possible member of the council being present, but they are not able to identify who it is due to them now sharing a body and being disguised as a woman. The agents, however, are able to identify Vendata as Councilman 1. Back at O.S.I. headquarters, they discover Vendata was built by Venture Industries in 1976 as Venturion, but the project was abandoned in 1977 when he showed erratic and psychotic behavior, such as attempting to strangle a young Dr. Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture. Hunter hatches a plan, upon seeing Vendata’s personal ad on Guildlist, to send someone in undercover to gather intelligence on Vendata while posing as his date. To this end they enlist Ghost Robot to go undercover as Guild member Galacticon. At the Council’s headquarters, a new Councilman 4 is announced by The Sovereign. Some members of the Council want to celebrate the addition of the first new councilman in 15 years, but Sovereign turns down this idea in order to maintain the anonymity of the members of the council. Red Mantle refutes this, as they already know each others' identities, and reveals the new councilman 4 to be Dr. Phineas Phage. Sovereign chastises him for his outburst, and adjourns the meeting. All the council members return and plan a night out on the town, except for Councilman 6, whose church youth group is meeting that evening; Councilman 12, who claims to be on the moon; the unrevealed Councilwoman 11, who declines as she is communicating with the others from Phoenix by telescreen and has grandchildren visiting; and Vendata, who has a date. The rest decide to meet at Councilman 7’s club as they are all too “spread out”. Upon exiting their chambers, it is revealed that all of the council members are in the same area, including Councilman 12, who is not on the moon as he claimed. Almost all the members of the Council of Thirteen are now revealed. The O.S.I agents brief Ghost Robot on his undercover mission outside the restaurant, where he is supposed to meet Vendata. Headshot has joined them on the operation. Most of the Council head to Don Hell’s club in Steppenwolf's car as they discuss their previous racing exploits. Ghost Robot and Vendata make awkward conversation at the restaurant while the O.S.I agents listen in. This goes on until they both realize they do not eat, or at least eat regular food in Vendata’s case. They decide to leave the restaurant and also go to Don Hell’s club. Brock reacts badly to this as it is not part of the plan. When the O.S.I agents where they are headed, Brock wonders if Vendata is setting up Ghost Robot for a hit and it is revealed that the club only allows Guild members in. The agents lose Ghost Robot’s signal as he and Vendata enter the club. Brock decides to go back to The Venture Compound to get costumes that he's collected over the years from villains he has defeated or slain. They must disguise themselves in order to infiltrate the club to rescue Ghost Robot. Snoop also creates fake Guild identities for them. While getting the costumes, Sergeant Hatred walks in on them along with Dr. Venture, who believes that they are going to a costume party without him. At the club, the Council is enjoying their night out when they notice Vendata out on his date. Thinking Ghost Robot is Galacticon, they talk about how he’s there with a different John every week, implying that he might be a prostitute. Vendata spots the other guild members and goes over to say "hi," while Brock and Shore Leave infiltrate the club. Meanwhile, Dr. Venture picks up Master Billy Quizboy to go to what he believes is a costume party. As Vendata is speaking to his fellow council members, Brock attempts to get Ghost Robot out of Don Hell’s. Outside, the real Galacticon shows up and heads inside Don Hell’s. Headshot tries to snipe him while he's walking in, but his shot is ruined when Dr. Venture crashes into their vehicle, which is camouflaged as a rock. After failing to sneak in through a window, Dr. Venture and Billy get into the club by (what they thought was) fooling the bouncer with a ventriloquist routine. Inside, the disguised-Shore Leave sees the real Galacticon enter and warns Brock, who also sees him and takes Ghost Robot into the bathroom. Don Hell, mistakenly believing that Vendata’s date is leaving with someone else, alerts Vendata. He then goes into the bathroom to follow them. Don Hell is himself alerted by the bouncer who wasn't fooled by Dr. Venture, and leaves to deal with the situation. Vendata walks into the bathroom and into a stall where he finds what looks to be Brock and Ghost Robot in a compromising situation, and believes the rumors his fellow Council of 13 members have just told him. In reality, Brock is helping Ghost Robot out of his costume. Brock quickly knocks Vendata unconscious and takes pieces of his costume to wear while Ghost Robot is now wearing Brock’s Mummy costume. Brock radios Shore Leave to exit, but he is stopped by a villain that recognizes the costume Shore Leave is wearing as belonging to a missing friend of his that apparently was taken out by Brock sometime in the past. Brock, now dressed as Vendata, breaks up their argument, just as Don Hell announces that he has captured Dr. Venture and Billy. Brock decides to rescue Venture, while the villain that confronted Shore Leave earlier makes a call to someone unknown at the moment to the audience, alerting them to the fact Don Hell has captured Venture. Brock and Shore Leave mount a rescue attempt, with Shore Leave attempting to cut loose a giant disco ball from the ceiling to drop on the unsuspecting villains. The Monarch and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch enter Don Hell’s, having been the mystery person on the receiving-end of the aforementioned phone call. They claim Dr. Venture for themselves as his primary Archnemesis according to Guild rules. The two sides go back and forth on Guild rules for a while, when Dr. Mrs. The Monarch finally convinces them to turn Venture over. Brock, satisfied that the Monarch is harmless, leaves Dr. Venture in his custody. As he is walking away, Vendata, now stripped of his outer shell, emerges, yelling nonsensical statements. As Dr. Venture is walking towards the Monarch in the final moments of the episode, he is apparently crushed by the giant disco ball which finally has been cut loose. The post credit scene reveals that The Sovereign attempted to recruit Dr. Mrs. The Monarch to the Council of Thirteen and she responded that she would think about it. It also reveals that the Revenge Society is keeping tabs on Dr. Mrs. the Monarch. Episode Cast * [[wikipedia:James_Urbaniak|'James Urbaniak']]: Dr. Venture, Phantom Limb * [[wikipedia:Patrick_Warburton|'Patrick Warburton']]: Brock Samson * [[Chris McCulloch|'Chris McCulloch']]: Sgt. Hatred, The Monarch, Ghost Robot, Dragoon, Dr. Z, Don Hell, Steppenwolf, The Nerve, Sovereign Head, Dr. Henry Killinger, St. Cloud * [[wikipedia:Kevin_Conroy|'Kevin Conroy']]: Captain Sunshine * [[Doc Hammer|'Doc Hammer']]: Shoreleave, Billy Quizboy, Red Mantle, Vendata, Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, Sunsational * [[wikipedia:Paget_Brewster|'Paget Brewster']]: Amber Gold, Vespertina, Councilman 11, Waitress * [[wikipedia:Bill Hader|'Bill Hader']]: Phineas Phage, Headshot, Flying Squid * [[wikipedia:John_Hodgman|'John K. Hodgman']]: Snoopy * [[wikipedia:Larry_Murphy_(actor)|'Larry Murphy']]: Monseñor, Bouncer, Wonderboy 5 First Appearances * Bouncer * Don Hell (previously only seen as a Council of 13 silhouette) * Don Hell's (nightclub) * Flying Squid * Monseñor (previously only seen as a Council of 13 silhouette) * Steppenwolf (previously only seen as a Council of 13 silhouette) * Sunsational * The Nerve (previously only seen as a Council of 13 silhouette) * Vespertina * Wonder Boy V Funeral Attendees A small but notable group of mourners, mostly Guild villains, came out to pay their last respects at Boggles the Clue Clown's funeral. They included: * Boggles' henchclowns * Captain Sunshine * Dragoon * Monseñor (officiating) * Mentalist Villain With Purple Cape * Red Mantle * Rick Danger * Scorpio * The Egoist * Unnamed Magician Villain With Hazmat Hat * Vain Gloria * Vendata * Wonder Boy V Don Hell's Patrons Don Hell's is a nightclub for members of The Guild of Calamitous Intent, operated by Don Hell. * Alien Villain * Brick Frog * Brock Samson (disguised as "Yeti Mummy") * Curse * Dragoon * Dr. Phineas Phage * Dr. Z * Flying Squid * Franklin Delano Disco * Galacticon * Ghost Robot (disguised as Galacticon) * Hate-Bit * Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Nightmare Coat * Mentalist Villain With Purple Cape * Omega-Ape * Otaku Senzuri * Plug Face Guy * Red Mantle * Rick Danger * Scorpio * Shore Leave (disguised as "The Red-Throated Loon") * Storm Front * Sunsational (and his planet-themed cohorts) * The Egoist * The Nerve * Tunnel Vision * Unicornelius * Unnamed Magician Villain With Hazmat Hat * Unnamed Villain in Bird Costume * Unnamed Villain in Rodent Costume * Vain Gloria * Vendata * Vespertina * Wild Fop Connections to Other Episodes [[The Doctor is Sin|''The Doctor is Sin]] * The costume which Shore Leave wears is the one worn by would-be archnemesis the Sri Lankan Devil Bird in the episode [[The Doctor is Sin|''The Doctor is Sin]],'' who was presumably road hauled to death by a turban-wearing Brock. [[Pomp and Circuitry|Pomp and Circuitry]] * In Brock's locker, when he is getting costumes, you can briefly see a canoe hanging from the ceiling. This is presumably the canoe earned with Manboro Mile points which was mentioned by Hank during the episode [[Pomp and Circuitry|''Pomp and Circuitry]]. [[Arrears in Science|'Arrears in Science']] * After being attacked by Brock, Vendata re-emerges in a barely functioning state. He utters “Where is my wife? Have you..? Honey… Does not compute! Does not compute! Who am I? I think the plane is going down...”, implying he and his wife were in a plane crash before he was turned into Vendata. This was a clue, later confirmed in Arrears in Science, that Vendata was The Monarch’s father, as The Monarch had stated his parents were a wealthy couple who died when their private plane crashed in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Cultural References [[wikipedia:Batman|'Batman']] * Captain Sunshine's relationship with Boggles the Clue Clown is similar to Batman's relationship with The Joker (and, to a lesser extent, The Riddler). * Captain Sunshine is voiced by Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman in Batman: The Animated Series as well as numerous films and video games. * Shore Leave compares Brock's garage of trophies to Batman's Batcave. [[wikipedia:Battlestar_Galactica|'Battlestar Galactica']] * Galacticon is the name of a Battlestar Galactica-centric convention co-created by original BSG star Richard Hatch. ''Bicentennial Man'' (1999) * Shore Leave refers to Vendata as "''The Bicentennial Man''", a reference to the 1999 Robin Williams film and the 1976 Isaac Asimov novelette it was based on. Brass Ring * General Gathers states that their new intel on Vendata is "the brass ring". [[wikipedia:Craigslist|'Craigslist']] * It is revealed Vendata has an ad on Guildlist, which appears to be a Guild version of Craigslist. ''Doctor Who'' (1963-present) * When Snoopy tries to hastily cloak the O.S.I. van outside of Don Hell's club it morphs into different objects, similar to the workings of the chameleon circuit of the TARDIS on Doctor Who. These objects include: ** An ice cream truck. ** A robotic spider. ** The roadside billboard next to Billy Quizboy and Pete White's trailer that reads "If you lived here you'd be home by now". ** And finally a boulder, which Doc crashes into. [http://www.donhills.com/ Don Hill's] * Don Hell’s club is a reference to Don Hill’s club Don Hill's in New York City. Fallout: New Vegas (2010) * The exterior of Don Hell’s club, an isolated concrete bunker covered with anti-nuclear-war graffiti, is inspired by the Hidden Valley bunker from the 2010 video game Fallout: New Vegas. [[wikipedia:Franklin_D._Roosevelt|'Franklin D. Roosevelt']] * Franklin Delano Disco, the Guild member in the wheelchair who wins the Wheel of Torture, is a parody of American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. [[wikipedia:Jack_Kirby|'Jack Kirby']] * Galacticon looks like the cosmic villain Galactus from Fantastic Four comic books and numerous other characters designed by artist Jack "King" Kirby. ''Misfits of Science'' (1985-1986) * When Snoopy cloaks the O.S.I. van as an ice cream truck it could be a reference to the Fundae Sundae ice cream truck driven by the superhero characters in the ''Misfits of Science'' television series. ''Requiem for a Dream'' (2000) * Dragoon's suggestion for Dr. Venture and Billy Quizboy to go "ass to ass" is a direct quote from the Darren Aronofsky film ''Requiem for a Dream''. [[wikipedia:RoboCop|''RoboCop]]' (1987)' * Vendata’s diet of a specially formulated enzyme paste is a reference to RoboCop’s diet in the movie of the same name. * Vendata is likened to RoboCop by Brock Samson. * After Vendata has his outer casings removed he looks like RoboCop at the end of the first movie. [[wikipedia:Star_Wars|'Star Wars']] * Vendata's vehicle highly resembles the Star Wars Imperial Troop Transport toy which was sold by Kenner. [[wikipedia:Superman|'Superman']] * Shore Leave compares Brock's garage of trophies to Superman's Fortress of Solitude. '''The Munsters'' (1964-1966)' * Steppenwolf’s roadster is designed after the hearse belonging to the Munster family while the music playing as the Council members ride along in it is based on the theme to [[wikipedia:The_Munsters|''The Munsters]] TV series. [[wikipedia:Truman_Capote|'Truman Capote']] * The bouncer at Don Hell’s calls Augustus St. Cloud “Truman Ca-blow-me”, a reference to Truman Capote. [[wikipedia:Twin Peaks|'Twin Peaks']]' (1990-1991)' * The funeral of Boggles the Clue Clown is a direct reference to Laura Palmer's burial on Twin Peaks. In season 1 episode 3 ("Rest in Pain", aired April 26, 1990) Laura's father Leland Palmer throws himself onto her casket as it is being lowered into the grave, sobbing uncontrollably the entire time. ''Wacky Races'' (1968-1969) * Dragoon confuses the races the Guild used to have in the past with the TV show ''Wacky Races'', then tries to recall the names of the character Dick Dastardly and his dog Muttley. ''Wheel of Fortune'' (1975-present) * The Wheel of Torture is a reference to the popular game show ''Wheel of Fortune''. Wheel of Torture At 19:26, the list of tortures can all be read on the Wheel of Torture. They are as follows: * Acid Dip * Rat's Feast * Lava Boarding * McPain's Anguish * Eyeclops of Pain * Devil's Fork * Human Pinata * Brazilian Bull * The Chupa Cobra * Electric Sock Monkey * Ceti Eel of Khan * Scold's Bridle Shower * Rail Ripper * 5 Pains of Li Si * Cranium Crusher * Scrotal-lation * Moon Shredder * Burnt Slumber * W.A.S.P. * British Smiles [[wikipedia:Scold%27s_bridle|'Scold's Bridle']] * Scold's Bridle was an English punishment and humiliation face-sized muzzle device, primarily used on women. The device had a bridle with spikes on the tongue, so that the victim would suffer pain whenever she tried to talk. [[wikipedia:Brazen_bull|'The Brazen Bull']] * The Brazen Bull is an ancient Greek execution device in which the condemned criminal was placed in a hollow metal bull-shaped vessel, then a fire set under it. The bull's acoustics were such that the criminal's screams sounded like a bull. [[wikipedia:Glasgow_smile|'The British Smile']] *The British Smile, a wound caused by making small cuts in the corner of the victim's mouth, followed by beating him until the muscles in his face contract. [[wikipedia:List_of_Star_Trek_animals#Ceti_eel|'The Ceti Eel of Khan']] *The Ceti Eel of Khan refers to the Star Trek villain Khan's use of an alien larva on Chekov in ''Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan''. The eel enters the ear of a larger animal and wraps itself around the cerebral cortex, causing pain and making the host susceptible to suggestion. [[wikipedia:Five_Punishments|'The Five Pains of Li Si']] * The Five Pains of Li Si were a series of physical penalties meted out by the legal system of Imperial China. Li Si was a politician during the Qin Dynasty. The punishments are: Chi, beating of the buttocks with a cane; Zhang, beating with a large stick; Tu, compulsory penal servitude; Liu, exile to a remote location; and Si, death. [[wikipedia:Railroad_plough|'The Rail Ripper']] * The rail ripper might not be a torture device. It is a railroad plough, a vehicle designed to destroy railroad track to prevent enemies from using railroad lines. [[wikipedia:W.A.S.P._(band)|'W.A.S.P.']] *W.A.S.P. refers to a heavy metal band which, during its live shows, tied semi-naked models to a torture rack. Production Notes * One of the animation directors (Kimson Albert) has a "nickname" inserted into his credits. The nickname is an unusual line or word from the preceding episode. For Bot Seeks Bot the credit reads Kimson "Brock Cousteau" Albert. Trivia * All the members of The Council of 13 are revealed with the exception of Councilmen 6 and 11. Councilman 6 can be deduced to be Monseñor due to his appearance and claim of Choir practice. Councilwoman 11 was later revealed to be Mommy Longlegs. * It is heavily implied by Shore Leave that Amber Gold is not completely faithful to Headshot, as shown when she quietly stated "Everyone gets lonely sometimes" slyly looking at Brock. Also Brock’s nervous remarks to change the subject, upon Shore Leave mentioning if Amber knows about their relationship, implies he is possibly having an affair with her. * When the O.S.I. disguises Ghost Robot as Galacticon they replace his usual metal claws with robotic hands that have fingers. Ghost Robot wondrously flexes his new fingers and briefly becomes preoccupied with them, distracting him from the mission briefing. * Upon seeing "Vendata" (actually a disguised Brock), Dr. Venture recognizes him as “The metal murder-man from my nightmares! He's real!!!” * Article 97D of Guild bylaws states: No villain may arch previously claimed nemesis, without first consulting the primary arch, of said nemesis. * The Guild’s Articles of Collusion, paragraph C stipulates: in the event of a team-up, the team’s right to arch supersede that of the primary. But not without offering the primary arch first right of refusal to participate in and/or lead said team-up. * In the scene where Ghost Robot (undercover as Galacticon) and Vendata are inside Chairman Wao's Chow House, Dean can be seen seated at a table in background. It is unknown as to why he was there (besides to dine) or whom he was with. References Category:Episodes Category:The Venture Bros. episodes Category:2013 television episodes Category:Season 5